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Topic Review (Newest First)

11-16-2012 10:45 PM

fishnewbie34

that great advise thatnk u alot, so maybe cutitng down on the food will do the trick......and my fish are acting normal but how will i know if my fish are pregnant anyways, and should i be doing anything differently if they are pregnant

11-16-2012 03:28 PM

Diana

Swollen abdomens can be from any of several causes.

Livebearers are the most likely to be pregnant.
Fish that lay eggs can get big when the eggs are developing.
Either condition is usually symmetrical, that is, it looks the same on both sides if you are looking straight down at the fish. It can be a bit lumpy.

Eating too much at any one meal can make a bulge in the fish that goes away as he digests the food. But that is too much food. Spread out the food better so all the fish get some, and one fish cannot eat that much.

Eating the wrong foods can make the fish constipated.
This will also look like a symmetrical lump, but usually a bit farther back than the 'ate a big meal' lump.
The solution to help once they are constipated is to move them to a quarantine tank and add Epsom salt.
The prevention is to feed a rotation of foods that include roughage. Daphnia are good, and vegetables like Peas. Do not over feed. Small amounts more frequently are better than large amounts infrequently. Feeding less often is best. If you feed twice a day, then skip at least one day per week. And only feed tiny amounts.
If you are raising fry keep them in a separate tank so you can customize the feeding for them. Lots of food, pretty often, and LOTS of water changes.

Fish can get tumors. These are more likely to be asymmetrical, and can be anywhere on the fish. It would be REALLY weird that several fish all got some sort of growth at the same time.

Internal parasites can also make the fish swollen. Often these fish will be lethargic, and hang out near the bottom of the tank, but not always. The treatment is to worm the fish.

11-16-2012 03:17 PM

BBradbury

Feeding Your Fish

Hello fish...

Your larger fish are likely getting the bulk of the food. Aquarium fish are small, with even smaller stomachs. The stomach is roughly the size of one of their eyes. So, it takes a very small amount of food to fill them.

Fish eat once a week at most in their natural living places, so if you feed much more than that, your fish will get heavy and this shortens their lives. It's no different then people eating too much.

I feed my fish a little frozen food variety (most nutritious), two times a week and feed just a little bit. It's usually cleaned up in just a few minutes. Between feedings, the fish are constantly swimming around the tank looking for bits of leftovers. They stay in good shape and their tank stays a lot cleaner. No problems with algae either.

I'd say to gradually reduce the amount you feed to no more than every other day at most. Less often is best, that's the way nature does it.

B

11-16-2012 07:20 AM

EROD714

Do they stay on the surface.. How's their activity .. They could be pregnant but could also be dropsy.. I usually feed my fish twice a day.. With enough food for them to eat and without having it collect at the bottom..

11-16-2012 05:02 AM

fishnewbie34

fish stomach

couple of my fish bellies are really bloated especially my krib .....also the female platie and the female swordtail also have very large stomachs where the males all look fine and one of the border loaches has a kinda big belly.....is this from overfeeding or couple i possibly have just three pregnant fish

i have really hard time figuring out how much i should feed, i think i might be over feeding not sure though